So It's Been Six Months . . .

And where are we really?  Background checks didn't pass, the Democratic senators who voted against the proposed legislaton are still in Congress, and still against it, and the NRA is still whooping it up in victory.

There have been a few signs of hope -- with NYC Mayor Bloomberg taking out ads against those running for office who are pro-gun, and his most controversial stand yet, urging big donors to deny funds to those four senators who joined the Republicans in killing the background check legislation, even if their seats may now fall to Republicans.

You have to admire his drive -- though sitting on billions of dollars helps.

And Democrats, according to The New York Times today, are also renewing their push for gun measures.  Jonathan Weisman writes that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, though, is cautioning that he won't accept any bill that is weaker than the one voted on in April.

But has anything really changed?  Hero teacher Victoria Soto's sisters were on morning talk shows today saying how they've been continuing to visit members of Congress to talk about gun control in the wake of her death.  Asked by one news anchor what they've been hearing back, one sister carefully chose her words, saying they had been treated very "politely."  But . . .?

So here we are, six months later, with nothing much to show for the brutal gunning down of 20 first graders.  Yes, it's slipped a little from consciousness, mine as much as anyone's, and that's a crime.   I still get a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think how close we came to even limited gun control, and couldn't do it.  Most injurious of all, I received an application for membership from the NRA last week and the only way I can think they got my name was from a donation I made to Newtown.

Is it ever going to change?  No one knows.  I just pray, as I'm sure all America does, that it's not going to take the slaughter of more innocent, beautiful children to finally bring some sense to this discussion.  But, sadly, it probably will.




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